Lack of focus in fishing.

[Bob Gill]

Come on Bob, need to find your Mojo, Wye is not too far from you.
Serious question you talk of Marina and Mullet, I was unaware that Mullet could be had from Avonmouth.

Fished the Wye for years back in the 2000's.
Mullet - yes just down the road less than a mile away, scenery a bit naff though.
Got plenty of drains on my doorstep for Bream, Tench, Carp and other silver species.
Had an invite to do some sea and trout fishing this morning - just haven't got the enthusiasm at the moment :-(

I'll get it back, I'm sure....
Cheers
Bob

 

[Mark Anderson]

Hi men,

TBH if the rivers were still how me and Sue knew them we would still be climbing up trees watching them , but they aint , and I cant get her motivated to go back to some of our haunts . Look at the river reports section and the trend is for the bigger rivers getting the most posts , there is a reason for that .


Hatter

 

[Terry Simner]

Hi men,

TBH if the rivers were still how me and Sue knew them we would still be climbing up trees watching them , but they aint , and I cant get her motivated to go back to some of our haunts . Look at the river reports section and the trend is for the bigger rivers getting the most posts , there is a reason for that .


Hatter

Yep, we know it and they know it...but they won't say it. F.O.O. (work that one out )
I'm getting around it (the 'problem') by attempting to change my fishing style, reel, and rod. Wanna get 'fired up' again.

 

[Neil Smart]

Fished the Wye for years back in the 2000's.
Mullet - yes just down the road less than a mile away, scenery a bit naff though.
Got plenty of drains on my doorstep for Bream, Tench, Carp and other silver species.
Had an invite to do some sea and trout fishing this morning - just haven't got the enthusiasm at the moment :-(

I'll get it back, I'm sure....
Cheers
Bob

Seriously impressed regarding the Mullet being on your doorstep Bob, very challenging species to catch. too.
Hopefully you will make a full recovery before the 16th.

 

[Bob Gill]

Seriously impressed regarding the Mullet being on your doorstep Bob, very challenging species to catch. too.
Hopefully you will make a full recovery before the 16th.

Spent many a frustrating time in various venues trying for them. Go like mad when you connect and caught my first bass on trotted bread when fishing for them - which was hell of a surprise.
Cheers
Bob

 

[Graham Elliott]

Over the past few years I have been
Grayling roach chub perch pike trout dace and carp fishing.

Trotting , floater, feeder, method, livebaiting and fly fishing.

After 40 years specialising in barbel fishing.

Thoroughly enjoyed it in many different, some stunning, some a bit grim, locations.

Different challenges. New pb's of grayling, trout, roach and rudd along the way.

And I have plenty of barbel locally.

More to life.....

 

[David Craine]

Simple enough for me, Barbel when ever I fancy in season, beach fishing in the winter for Cod,and Pike from the local reservoirs,early season Tench, summer means Bass, and late/ night sessions for Barbel, and Chub, oh and Smoothhound from the beaches, plus rough ground and wrecking from charter boats, ( got to fill the freezer with cod and Ling fillets) .
Autumn means the Barbel are getting bigger,and Pike are piling on pounds . Back to winter, not forgetting that roach will oblige when all else fails, and again Chub show up.
So, I have the year sorted, but also, in case of inclement weather , or tides that dont suit I am starting LRF on the local canal. I fish LRF when abroad in Greece , Spain and Italy, as it is easier to pack the kit.
Which reminds me, Corfu at the end of the month.
If the above leaves me time I tinker, making Crabtree nets, or rebuilding rods or general repairs, or making surface lures for my ever expanding surface bass lure collection
Almost forgot, I also have a habit of chucking the odd fly occasionally, all the gear and no idea, but it serves puropse.
I used to have Barbel goggles, but rising prices for day tickets, plus the fact that returns were going down year on year made me think that expanding my horizons would be of benefit , and it has been.

Having a go on the Wye this year , a first for me, so hopefully it will be favourable and an experience to be savoured, Barbel from a different river hopefully.

Dave

 

[Nick Coulthurst]

I too have diversified and not because the nearest barbel river to me is devoid of barbel, it's just I sometimes prefer to trot for roach, drop shot for perch, or touch leger for chub on my local rivers, rather than fish for barbel on the Trent. It's been a revelation, and I intend to diversify further next season to include pike, a fish I have ignored for too many years. I also caught my first ever grayling last season, which I enjoyed immensely.

Nick C

 

[Alan Palmer]

For myself living within spitting distance to what were some of the best Barbel stretches of the Ouse a few years ago I also went into a major sulk for a while believing all was lost..but last couple of years I have experienced some of the best Chub, Dace,Perch and Roach fishing for a long time. I have not bothered with trying to catch a Barbel on the Ouse at all...however that will now change - end of last season while trotting for silvers I caught a small Barbel (3Ib) and same session also lost a much bigger Barbel floatfishing worm in a slack for Perch. It made a mockery of my 4Ib line after rolling on the surface and rocketing downstream...and there was no mistaking this being a double figure fish! So they are still there after all (albeit in smaller numbers) but it has rekindled my fire again for Ouse Barbel

 

[Steve Lewis]

After a largely disappointing 17/18 season barbel and pike wise (the two main species I've typically gone for over the last two seasons, on the Bristol Avon and Somerset drains respectively), I'm going to force myself to do a lot of different things and go for different species at different venues in the 18/19 season, not least because one of the most enjoyable day's fishing I had last year (in fact one of the most enjoyable day's fishing ever) was a large mixed bag of pristine fish (of which the only fish anywhere near to being a specimen was a mere 4lb bream) on the feeder from the King's Sedgemoor drain.

Whilst we all know most of our rivers barbel stocks are suffering (and the Bristol Avon is not excluded from that, as Clive well knows!), I take solace in the fact that the BA barbel ARE still there, there ARE some big girls left, and there ARE plenty of smaller fish coming on - I've seen the big 'uns swimming about, I've seen photos of them landed, and I've caught the youngsters myself in good number. So it's not as if in the back of my mind that there are fewer chances left for me to land that sought after BA double.

...I don't know what point I'm trying to make there, but this coming season will all be about variety, both in species and the venues I fish.

 

[Julian Peacock]

Life is much too short for just barbel, barbel, barbel.....especially when your local rivers are the Gt Ouse and Ivel. Fishing for them on these 2 rivers would be akin to carping a 200 acre pit for a handful of carp....just for weirdos!
My affair this year will hopefully be with either tench, bream or crucians until the autumn before the roach come calling.
Still like a bit of carping too, which my aching muscles are reminding me of today after landing 22 carp yesterday! Nothing big, upto about 16lb but good fun.
I only tend to sulk or lose focus after several blanks or too easy fishing, very easily rectified by a switch of species or trying to catch bigger ones.

 

[Mark Swaby]

Fishing for Barbel for most anglers has meant Ledgering, chuck out a hair rigged bait or a piece of meat and a couple of times a day the rod will get dragged round.With the massive decline of Barbel in most river systems the wait has increased and ' is it worth bothering ' and boredom comes into the equation. Either you need a more mobile approach (if there are still a few barbel and chub to be caught) ,fish a more prolific river or change species and methods.Next season i hope to wet my line on the Thames but will be using a method probably not used by anyone before..I think it will work ,it should do, but there are no guarantees.

 

[Clive Shipman]

Have you bought a trawler Mark?

 

[Alex Dalton]

Moved to somewhere that had beach casting on the back doorstep, just as happy trotting a small stick float on a tiny river for small brown trout, easy to get stuck with barbel blinkers, same as Tench blinkers that I had a few years ago. Will try to enjoy next seasons barbel fishing after a somewhat erratic 2017, at least the rivers have had a good bit of rain coursing through them , might bode well for a good start in June.

 

[Mark Swaby]

Have you bought a trawler Mark?

I have made up some massive floats to fish the far bank with big baits on sections that will only have been ledgered that far over. The smallest are probably 15 swan shot the largest will take 2 ounces plus.Two types, a long and lean waggler which looks like massive dart, with flights for sights, base weighted with 6 inch thick galvanised nails.The others are line thru floats probably 2 ounces to shot the tip correctly which will be fished sliding style to drag the bait along overdepth. I am planning to travel light, be mobile, cover ground and find fish rather than sit it out.

 

[Terry Simner]

I have made up some massive floats to fish the far bank with big baits on sections that will only have been ledgered that far over. The smallest are probably 15 swan shot the largest will take 2 ounces plus.Two types, a long and lean waggler which looks like massive dart, with flights for sights, base weighted with 6 inch thick galvanised nails.The others are line thru floats probably 2 ounces to shot the tip correctly which will be fished sliding style to drag the bait along overdepth. I am planning to travel light, be mobile, cover ground and find fish rather than sit it out.

If you're intending to "travel light" you best leave those floats at home Mark

 

[Clive Shipman]

I have made up some massive floats to fish the far bank with big baits on sections that will only have been ledgered that far over. The smallest are probably 15 swan shot the largest will take 2 ounces plus.Two types, a long and lean waggler which looks like massive dart, with flights for sights, base weighted with 6 inch thick galvanised nails.The others are line thru floats probably 2 ounces to shot the tip correctly which will be fished sliding style to drag the bait along overdepth. I am planning to travel light, be mobile, cover ground and find fish rather than sit it out.

This is what I love about decent specimen anglers thinking outside the box being able to adapt to what others would just consider unfishable or not worth it. Good luck with your endeavours Mark.

 

[Mark Swaby]

I seem to remember J W Martin writing about Thames Barbel fishing with very big floats over 100 years ago,but he was fishing from a boat. Its a method that has completely disappeared from fishing for a long time,we now all seem to use small floats. I am going to try doing it from the bank.My only worry is keeping the bait on the hook when punching the float over.Totally different to normal fishing and a new challenge which will keep the interest going.

 

[Steve Roffey]

I started off my fishing life on the Thames and Mole back in the 60's, nearly always float fishing and caught many barbel, along with roach, chub, etc. When I moved north my local river became the Dane, again mostly float fishing, it wasn't until I moved on to the Severn and Ribble that I got into the habit of two ledger rods out and sit and wait. In recent years I've found this to be boring beyond belief and now have gone back to float fishing wherever possible.

 

[Clive Shipman]

I seem to remember J W Martin writing about Thames Barbel fishing with very big floats over 100 years ago,but he was fishing from a boat. Its a method that has completely disappeared from fishing for a long time,we now all seem to use small floats. I am going to try doing it from the bank.My only worry is keeping the bait on the hook when punching the float over.Totally different to normal fishing and a new challenge which will keep the interest going.

Fox arma mesh or tights material would help.